Page 9 of Sinful as They Come (Sinful Trilogy #1)

I finished the cheer off with a high kick and a bright smile.

My cheeks hurt a little. But I still waved the red and white pom poms above my head.

The crowd cheered right along with us, clapping and standing and looking oh so excited despite the fact that the team was losing. They didn’t seem bothered. Yet.

As I jumped and clapped, pumping everyone up, I looked on to see if I could spy any familiar faces.

My smile widened at the sight of a few of my friends in the seats – girls who weren’t on the cheerleading team, but who I was still close to nonetheless.

There were some of Carter’s friends I waved at and a couple of teachers who gave me a friendly nod.

And then my eyes landed on Brodie. He grinned at me when we locked eyes, giving me an enthusiastic thumbs up with both hands. I giggled at him and gave him a wave. Then I saw who was next to him.

Why the hell was Sawyer here?

Sawyer never came to football games. It wasn’t his scene. And I was almost certain he hated football .

“What the hell is Sawyer and his weird, little cousin doing here?” Annie whispered into my ear, her blue eyes bright with amusement. She had noticed too.

“Brodie’s not the weird one.” I assured her. “And I don’t know what Sawyer wants. He’s probably here to torture me.”

“I’m sure he got a good look at you when you did that high kick.” She laughed.

I blushed suddenly. I gave Sawyer a quick glance and I had to hastily avert my eyes.

He had been looking at me. But… had he seen me do that high kick?

And all the other kicks before it? And watched me spin around as my red and white pleated skirt flew up?

Out of nowhere I felt self-conscious. And maybe even a little embarrassed.

Sawyer probably thought I looked like an idiot out here jumping up and down and screaming for one team to throw a ball better than another team.

Why did I care what he thought all of a sudden?

I didn’t. I shook my head, my ponytail swinging left and right. His opinion didn’t matter. He probably thought he was too good for us, anyway. He probably thought we were all idiots for caring about something as silly as a football.

“Wildcats, Wildcats, what’s that sound?” Annie screamed next to me.

That cheer usually got the crowd going. They screamed for her as she carried on egging them on. That was supposed to be my job as cheer captain – but she could tell I was a little out of it after spying Sawyer. I mimed out a “thanks” to her.

The game kept going and unfortunately, it had been a breeze for the other team. Carter got one touchdown but the star of the show had been Lucas Morgan who got three. I knew that would frustrate Carter, but I hoped and prayed his own achievement would be enough to keep him happy.

The girls and I cheered for the boys to keep their spirits up, and soon they were making their way back down to the locker room. The girls and I gathered together for our usual group hug – which we did whether the Wildcats won or lost. It was always a good, little bonding session.

“You girls were amazing tonight,” I said with my brightest smile. “Each and every one of you. All of you should be super proud! Great job. Now rest up. Have a good weekend. And be ready to do this all over again next week!”

We ended the night holding each other tight before the girls all headed off. Annie gave me a hug goodbye and a kiss on the cheek before her parents called her over. They usually had dinner on game nights. I shot them a wave before they stole Annie away from me.

“That really did make my head spin, Holly,” a gravelly voice said from behind me.

I instantly crossed my arms as I spun around. There stood Sawyer with that same frown on his face. And there was Brodie with that same silly grin.

“I didn’t come up with that cheer.” I tried to defend myself.

“But you sure did say it with so much enthusiasm,” he deadpanned. “Had the whole place going crazy.”

“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes. “What are you even doing here?”

“This one needed a ride,” Sawyer muttered, elbowing Brodie’s side.

“Oh. Well, Brodie, you ready for your interview?” I asked.

“Should I interview the captain or the guy who got all the touchdowns?” Brodie asked innocently. He pulled out his old phone, looking like he was getting prepared to record.

I winced a little at his words. Sawyer picked up on that instantly and laughed, his hands shoved into the pockets of his leather jacket. As usual he was dressed head to toe in black, much like Brodie.

“What’s so funny?” I interrogated the laughing boy.

“How pissed off is Carter right now?” Sawyer wondered with a grin. “Bet he wishes he was the guy who got all those touch downs.”

“Carter still had a great game, thank you very much.”

Sawyer smirked. He looked far too smug for my liking.

“Remind me, Sawyer, how many touchdowns have you had?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“You say that like I’m supposed to be offended, princess. I don’t give a fuck about football or playing football or cheering on a bunch of dumb ass football players. That’s where we’re different.”

“Whatever. Feel free to think you’re better than me and everyone else.” I eyed him before staring at a rather uncomfortable looking Brodie. “Come on. I’ll get you into the locker room, Brodie. Your cousin can stay out here since he hates football so much.”

Sawyer just laughed some more. I pulled at Brodie’s arm, guiding him off the field and into the hallway so we could find the locker room.

We could already hear the guys sharing a rather loud pep talk.

As we walked I gave Brodie’s questions a quick once over.

They were all pretty good; I was happy to put them in the paper.

The locker room door was already open when we got there.

I could see Coach screaming his head off and shaking Lucas by the shoulders, clearly excited for the guy’s talent despite the loss.

Lucas looked both ecstatic and terrified – but mostly terrified.

The other guys looked deflated on the benches.

I spotted Carter in the corner. He was sitting down, head bowed, hands clasped together as he rested his elbows on his thighs.

His blond hair hung down in front of his face, blocking his eyes.

I knew he was disappointed in himself.

“Brodie, do you mind waiting out here for like, five minutes?” I asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I just have to talk to Carter. You can go over your questions again if you need to. Promise I won’t be long.”

He smiled and nodded. “All good. Yeah, gonna read over ‘em again.”

I sent him a smile back before sneaking my way through the locker room. They usually didn’t mind when girlfriends snuck in after a game – at least when they won. I had done it before. And Carter was usually over the moon, but tonight just hadn’t been his night.

“Carter?” I asked quietly, approaching him with my hands behind my back. “Are you okay?”

All I got was silence.

I sat down on the bench next to him, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder. He flinched and shook his broad shoulder away from me. I did my best to hide the look of pain on my face.

“Carter, it’s okay. The season just started. And you did so good. You had all eyes on you. Like you do every time. Everyone loved you out there,” I tried. My voice was soft but I knew he could still hear me. “And I loved seeing you out there too. You were the only one I was really cheering for.”

He took a deep breath. “Holly…”

“Yeah?” I smiled.

“Leave me alone.”

He turned to look at me, and all I saw was… hatred.

He had looked at me like that before, but tonight was different. He didn’t blink at me. His lips barely moved. He stayed stoic and still, like he wanted me to take in everything he was offering to me, everything he didn’t seem to bother hiding: complete and utter disdain.

It was different to how Sawyer hated me or how I hated him.

Carter looked at me like he wanted to punish me.

But for what?

For being supportive?

“I’m sorry,” I found myself saying. Even as I said it, I still had no idea why I was saying it. I knew I had done nothing wrong. But I loved Carter and I wanted him to feel better, even if it meant having to take me down in the process. “I don’t know what I’m saying sometimes.”

“Yeah, I know. You do that a lot.”

The tears welled up in my eyes before I could really stop them. I tugged at the hem of my skirt, wishing that I had just stayed outside. All I had wanted was an easy night with Carter. His arms. His hands. His calming voice.

“I’ll go then,” I suggested, looking at him through my lashes.

“Nah, I’m outta here. You stay and enjoy the show.”

I looked up, watching as Carter snatched his duffel bag from the floor and flung it over his shoulder.

I finally got a proper look at him. His hair was drenched with sweat and his face was red as he loomed over me.

All he gave me was one last angry look before he walked away, bumping my knees in the process.

I literally gulped. It was all I could do to keep back the sob that was so close to escaping my lips. A quick look around the room told me none of the guys had really noticed. They were still talking amongst themselves quietly as if their captain hadn’t just stormed out of the room.

Maybe they were used to it.

“Holly!” Lucas shouted to my right.

I stared at him, quickly turning my frown into a smile as he sat down on the bench next to me. He too was a sweaty mess, but he certainly looked happy with his bright eyes and smile.

“Lucas, hey.” I gave my eyes a quick wipe. “You were so great out there.”

“Thanks. You too. Saw you cheering.” He nudged me. “Where’s your boy?”

“He had to leave early,” I lied.

“Ah. You gonna hang out with us tonight? We’re heading to Fran’s in a few. I know some of the other cheer girls are coming along. Think they’re outside. It was a loss, but it wasn’t that bad. You in?”